A new quantum computer named VLQ was officially inaugurated at IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center in Ostrava, Czech Republic. According to IQM Quantum Computers, VLQ is a 24-qubit superconducting quantum computer with a star-shaped topology providing full connectivity between all qubits. It was the second quantum computer launched in Europe under EuroHPC JU, following the first in Poznan, Poland.
IQM Quantum Computers supplied the full-stack system at a total acquisition cost of approximately EUR 5 million (approximately CZK 125 million), co-funded equally by EuroHPC JU and the LUMI-Q consortium. The 13-partner consortium from eight European countries was led by the Czech Republic. VLQ was directly connected to the Karolina supercomputer at IT4Innovations, enabling combined classical and quantum computations.
Mikko Valimaki, Co-CEO of IQM, stated it was “the first installation not just in Czech Republic but anywhere in the world with a superconducting quantum computer with connectivity between all qubits.” The system was expected to become accessible to European researchers, companies, and the public sector by the end of 2025.